11 Ways to Practice Guitar While You Watch Shark Week

11 Ways to Practice Guitar While You Watch Shark Week Sign up successful When I first started learning to play guitar, I stared too much at my hands which really slowed down my ability to read tabs or chord charts while I played. Playing with the TV on pulled my eyes away from my hands and forced me to learn to rely on my muscle memory to form chords, scales, and riffs. I also used to get bored easily while practicing technical exercises such as scales and arpeggios. With the TV on in the background and my metronome clicking happily away, I can  run through technical exercises for  a whole episode of Shark Planet. Finally, watching TV distracts the nervous, busy parts of my brain that are mainly responsible for criticizing me constantly and wondering if I left the oven on. With my focus split and my busy-brain occupied, I can improvise in a freer, less-inhibited way. I find I feel less self-conscious and much more relaxed. Plus, its great to just spend more time with a guitar in my hands. If Im sitting around at home anyway, I might as well be playing! How to Practice Guitar While Watching TV For best results, I play an unplugged electric or hollow body electric guitar while watching TV. Its a little less annoying to the other members of my household, but I can still hear myself well enough to get the job done. When Im alone, I bust out my metronome for TV practice sessions as well. 11  Things You Can Practice While You Watch TV Ready to give it a shot? Ive selected  11 shark-approved  things you can practice while you enjoy Shark Week, your next Netflix binge, or a week long Harry Potter movie marathon. 1. Play Chromatic Scales Chromatic scales involve all the fingers of your left hand and theyre a great way to refine your right hand skills with your pick. Just like any other exercise, start with your metronome on a slow speed and work up to a faster tempo. 2. Play Pentatonic Scales Pentatonic scales are at the root of many of your favorite rock, pop, and blues songs. Plus, they are a great tool to have at your disposal when it comes time to improvise a solo. Practice them in many positions on the neck to get the pentatonic patterns locked in your muscle memory. 3. Play Major Scales Practicing major scales is a must for all musicians, no matter what instrument you play. There are five patterns you can learn  to play major scales all over the fretboard. 4. Play Minor Scales Minor scales give you a  sadder,  moodier sound. The melancholy vibe of these scales will help you express your grief  when Shark Week is over. 5. Play Scales in Different Modes Each scale can be played in a different order, known as a mode, for even more variety in sound and feeling. This guide from Guitar Habits can help you learn all seven modes in seven days. 6. Practice Chord Changes Keep your eyes on the TV as you practice switching from one chord to another. You can work through the chord changes in your favorite songs, or make up chord drills to give yourself a little extra challenge. 7. Play Arpeggios Arpeggio is a fancy word for broken chord, and theyre extremely versatile piece of  your guitar-skills arsenal.  Arpeggios are great for picking an accompaniment to a singer or for improvising solos. 8. Practice Fingerpicking It can take a lot of time to master the coordination that fingerpicking requires, so why not practice this technique while youre vegging out in front of the TV? 9. Practice Something That Challenges You Sometimes when youre playing something hard, the biggest obstacle to mastering it could actually  be your own mind. Get a little bit distracted with some TV while you play through challenging pieces (or parts of pieces) and you might break through your mental block. 10. Practice Something Easy Unwind by playing through your favorite, easy, fun pieces. After all, the best thing about playing guitar is the pleasure you get from making music. Enjoy yourself! 11. Get Creative You might like to improvise along with your TV, perhaps playing along to music in the show youre watching, or writing riffs inspired by what you see on the screen. Find what you enjoy and what makes sense for you to play. Remember, though playing in front of the TV can be fun and relaxing, its no substitute for focused and dedicated practice time. Your guitar teacher can help you make a plan for great guitar practice that helps you meet your musical goals. Practice every week like its Shark Week! Do you like to play guitar while you watch TV? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher